2015 Pro Cycling

The Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

It might not be the biggest race in Belgium, but “the Omloop” is always one of the best

By whit yost

(Photo by Jérémy-Günther-Heinz Jähnick)

The professional cycling season officially began in Australia and Argentina almost six weeks ago, but with Saturday’s 70th running of Belgium’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, the racing begins in earnest. Early season races such as the Tour Down Under, Tour of Oman, and Ruta del Sol are good kickoffs, and most riders would be thrilled to win a stage or the General Classification. But in the grand scheme of what has become quite a long season of professional cycling, those races are relatively minor events that generally will have forgotten about by April Fool’s Day. That changes with “the Omloop.”

For the riders, a win in the Omloop is much more than just an early-season morale booster; it’s a chance to make a statement just as the season’s most important races begin to arrive. From the Omloop, teams will head to either Paris-Nice or Tirreno-Adriatico, the year’s first major stage races; then on to Milan-San Remo, the longest one-day race on the calendar; and then back up to Belgium and France for April’s three northern Monuments: the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, and Liege-Bastogne-Liege. In other words, for many of the riders racing the Omloop, every race matters through the end of April. And there’s no better way to start things off than by emerging victorious from the season’s first important rendezvous.

Cobbles and Hills
When people think of the spring Classics, three things things generally come to mind: cobblestones, hills, and rotten weather. Like any worthy Belgian Classic, the Omloop offers plenty of chances for the riders to reacquaint themselves with Belgium’s most hard-headed citizens (and I’m not talking about the fans). Ten sections of cobblestones with tongue-twisting names such as “Haaghoek,” “Paddestraat,” and “Lippenhovestraat” speckle the Omloop’s 200km circuit. Four of them come within the final hour of racing, which means they often play an important role in crowning the Omloop’s eventual winner.

There are also plenty of hills (or “bergs” as the locals call them). The Omloop has eleven, five of which are cobbled. Highlights include the Muur or “wall” of Geraardsbergen, a legendary cobbled climb whose 20% pitches used to help determine the outcome of April’s Tour of Flanders; the Taaienberg, a steep, cobbled climb whose name literally means “tough climb”; and the Molenberg, the race’s final climb and a good place for favored teams to try to force a crucial final selection. In all, ten sections of cobblestones and eleven climbs is a lot for a 200km event like the Omloop, but hey—the riders have had almost six weeks to chat at the back of the peloton, now it’s time for racing.

And, thanks to its late-February/early-March date on the calendar, the Omloop is also known for some pretty atrocious weather which, when coupled with the course’s physical attributes, produces spectacular racing. Wind, rain, sleet, even snow—it’s all possible during the Omloop, which is why it’s one of the only races in which the winner might cross the line still wearing his leg warmers. In 1986 and 2004, the weather was so bad that the race was cancelled. But that’s more of an anomaly. After all, this is springtime in Belgium; if the riders weren’t up for it, they’d be racing in the south of France, Italy, or Spain.

Take last year for example: The race began under grey, cloudy skies, but a cold rain began falling steadily with about two hours left to race. Unfazed, the riders forged ahead as an exciting battle ensued between the day’s four strongest teams: Omega Pharma—Quick-Step, BMC, Team Sky, and Belkin. Those that finished looked more like survivors of a mine collapse than cyclists. Their faces and bodies were covered in layers of greasy manure and mud, their vacant eyes bloodshot from the grit sprayed from their fellow competitors’ tires.

This year’s forecast looks pleasant enough: partly cloudy with temperatures in the 40s. But the weather can change quickly in Belgium, and showers are expected Sunday. If those showers come early, we could have another rainy Omloop.

The Riders
In spite of (or in many cases, because of) its grueling nature, the Omloop tends to attract many of the sport’s best Classics riders and teams. The Omloop’s list of champions reads like a Who’s Who of Classics stars. Eddy Merckx, Roger De Vlaeminck, Johan Museeuw, and Peter Van Petegem have all won the Omloop at least once. And it’s no coincidence that the men just mentioned are Belgian: Belgian riders have won 54 of the event’s 69 editions.

This year, Belgium’s best chances for a victory are Team BMC’s Greg Van Avermaet and Philippe Gilbert. Van Avermaet narrowly finished second last year and Gilbert won the race twice earlier in his career. Both riders have displayed good form in early-season races so far, and if they can play off one another’s strengths (Van Avermaet’s a sprinter and Gilbert’s an attacker), they could end Belgium’s two-year Omloop losing streak. The last Belgian to win the Omloop was Sep Vanmarcke. He’s racing this year as the captain of the new Dutch LottoNL-Jumbo squad. But while he would love to win another Omloop, he’s more likely thinking ahead to winning April’s Tour of Flanders or Paris-Roubaix.

A discussion of Belgian Omloop contenders is incomplete without mentioning Etixx—Quick-Step’s Tom Boonen, a rider who just might be the best cobbled Classics rider in the sport’s history. But interestingly, despite three wins in the Tour of Flanders and four wins in Paris-Roubaix, Boonen’s never won the Omloop. He’s riding well—as he usually does at this time of year—but if he wants to finally add the Omloop to his resume, he might need to overcome his Dutch teammate Niki Terpstra. Last year’s winner of Paris-Roubaix, Terpstra won the recent Tour of Qatar and has been tipped by many to win Saturday.

Other non-Belgian contenders include Norway’s Alexander Kristoff of Team Katusha and Edvald Boasson Hagen of MTN-Qhubeka, France’s Sylvain Chavanel of IAM Cycling, and of course, the defending champion, Great Britain’s Ian Stannard of Team Sky. No matter who wins, one thing is certain: He and she (since 2006, a women’s event has also been organized) will be deserving champions. Races like the Omloop are not won by accident.

In the end, while it’s the not the oldest, the longest, or even the most prestigious spring Classic, Belgium’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is still one of season’s most exciting and fun-to-watch races. So this Saturday morning, pour yourself a cup of coffee, find a live feed of the race online (most should start around 9am EST), and sit back and enjoy the year’s first dose of cobbled goodness. If there’s one race that perfectly encapsulates everything there is to love about the spring Classics, it’s the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.